by Raziel VanMagnus

Created on: February 24, 2010

Who are Systems Administrators?

Given that you are a High School Senior or an unemployed person and considering this career path. This is a Primer about the career choice of becoming a Systems Administrator. This is an exciting career choice and offers wonderfully beneficial rewards both financially and professionally that you can attain in this field. Also, there is a something to consider. If you are a bit of a "Brain" and enjoy number crunching and complex equations and formulas, there is a massive amount of notoriety (or fame) that you can garner for yourself, Bill Gates on the Operating Systems and Software side of the house, Michael Dell and Steve Jobs on the Hardware side of the house.

In this year 2009 the term Systems Administrator has grown to encompass many types of Computer Systems Administrators (Sys Admin, Systems Admin, Systems Administrators, SA and CSA) these differing titles include many non-Systems Admin's. Such as many types of Public Key Administrators, these Admins are actually Encryption Key Administrators who deal more with Operating Systems and Network Operating Systems (OS and NOS.) on the level of the Authentication of Identities within a Network.

There are three widely excepted ways to become a Systems Administrator:

1. On the job training.

2. Trade Schools and Accelerated Learning Centers.

3. Formal education.

On the job Training

This option for some students could be a viable option. But I advise against it. I in the beginning choose this option, in the long run it is a "Dead End." A veritable Black Hole for your career to get off to a very poor start. As your humble advisor I suggest that you use the other two options and here is why.

After leaving the Army in 1993 I started at Morgan State University at the Administrative Computing Center. I excelled at the IT side of the job. I was told when Windows NT 3.51 (NT) Advanced Server first came out. Here is your Server and your Operating Systems, you have one week to learn it or you're fired! Oh, this is not meant as a joke it was real. So within a week I had the NT Server up and running, much to the chagrin of my boss. Who then tasked me with the Northern LAN at the University and I just kept confounding my boss. So I left and went to T Rowe Price in Baltimore Maryland. Again my skills eclipsed many that I worked with and this was without Certification. In the long run my career was hampered by the lack of Certification and not possessing the needed Academic Credentials. Even after

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next Page >>